Without limiting the scope of the invention, its background is described in connection with devices, programs and methods relating to baseball, as an example.
Heretofore, in this field, a common training aid is the baseball pitching machine. Primarily, pitching machines are used for batting practice to simulate a human pitcher. Conventional pitching machines are used to pitch a variety of different pitches including fastballs, curveballs, sliders, knuckle-balls, and change-ups. However, these machines are designed to deliver a ball to a designated, two-dimensional strike zone, at a specific distance from the mound and with minor variations in speed, spin and the like. Therefore, the range of movement and design of a conventional pitching machine limits its functionality to the strike zone.
Baseball-launching equipment has concentrated on pitching characteristics in order to develop a player's batting skill. The following patents exemplify the current state-of-the art:
U.S. Pat. No. 4,760,835Paulson et alAug. 2, 1988U.S. Pat. No. 5,125,653Kovacs et alJun. 30, 1992U.S. Pat. No. 5,464,208PierceNov. 7, 1995U.S. Pat. No. 5,979,426Troklus et alNov. 9, 1999U.S. Pat. No. 6,026,798Sanders et alFeb. 22, 2000U.S. Pat. No. 6,152,126Smith et alNov. 28, 2000U.S. Pat. No. 6,443,141 B2BattersbySep. 3, 2002U.S. Pat. No. 6,470,873 B2Battersby et alOct. 29, 2002
Generally, these patents concentrate on pitching a ball for the express purpose of developing a player's batting skills at home plate. While one of the listed patents may be repurposed to launch balls to players in the field, it still maintains its two-dimensional targeting characteristics and does so without any programmable features or variable ball launch characteristics. Others were adapted to provide limited useful practice sessions for developing players fielding skills.